Adjustable support



Nov. 18, 1958 A. w. CAREW ADJUSTABLE SUPPORT Filed June 17, 1957 FIG.

PIC-3.2

- 'INVENTOR. Ann-ma w.

CARIW HIS ATTORNIV United States Patent ADJUSTABLE SUPPORT Arthur W.Carew, Louisville, Ky., assignor to General Electric Company, acorporation of New York Application June 17, 1957, Serial No. 665,902

2 Claims. 01. 312-270 The present invention relates .to an adjustablesupport means and is more particularly'concerned with the adjustablemeans for supporting a stationary cover of a removable vegetable pan orother storage receptacle for a household refrigerator.

The usual household refrigerator includes one or more receptaclesdesigned for the storage of fruits, vegetables or the like and eitherslidably or rotatably mounted within the refrigerator cabinet. Toprovidefor limited or controlled circulation of the cooled cabinet air into andout of the receptacle there is also provided a stationary cover disposedabove and in spaced relationship with the top of the receptacle. Thecover is usually supported on the walls of the cabinet so that thereceptacle served by the cover can be moved or removed withoutdisturbing the cover.

The present invention has as its principal object the provision of anadjustable support for a receptacle cover of the above mentioned typewhereby the cover which may be supported by means other than the meanssupporting the receptacles can be adjusted relative to the top of thereceptacle.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparentfrom the following description of the invention and the features ofnovelty which characterize the invention will be pointed out withparticularity in the claims annexed to and forming part of thespecification.

In accordance with the present invention, there is provided anadjustable support for a storage receptacle cover or the like of thetype employed in household refrigerators which permits adjusting orleveling of the cover relative to the receptacle. The supported cover isprovided with a bracket including spaced depending legs and theadjustable supporting member includes a stud portion adapted to berotatably mounted in an aperture in a supporting wall such as the linerof the refrigerator and in frictional engagement with that wall. Thesupporting member also includes a head portion extending between thelegs of the bracket carried by the supported cover and an arm radiallyextending from the head portion and integral therewith for engaging thelower extremity of one of thelegs upon rotation of the supporting memberin order to vary the vertical position of the supported cover. In thepreferred form of the invention,

the means for frictionally engaging the supporting mem ber and thesupporting wall is designed to prevent reverse rotation of thesupporting member once the proper adjustment of the cover has beenobtained.

For a better understanding of the invention reference may be had to theaccompanying drawing in which: Fig. l is a sectional elevational view ofa portion of a refrigerator cabinet embodying the present invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional view, partially broken away, taken alongthe line 22 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 showing theadjustable supporting member of the present invention in a cover raisingposition; and

"ice j Fig. 4 is a perspective view illustrating certain details ofconstruction of the adjustable supporting member of the presentinvention.

With reference to Fig. 1 of the drawing, there is shown a refrigeratorcabinet including a food storage compartment 1. Provided within thecompartment 1 are a plurality of rotatable shelves (not shown) supportedon a vertically extending shaft 2. Also carried on the shaft 2 below theshelves are a pair of storage receptacles 3' which are supported forrotation on the shaft 2 in such a manner that one or the other of thetwo receptacles 3 can be rotated outwardly from the interior of thecompartment into an accessible position.

- In order to reduce the air circulation through the open topreceptacles 3 when they are positioned in their normal storage positionswithin the-compartment 1 and thereby to provide relatively high humidityconditions within these receptacles, there is provided a'cover 4extending horizontally across the top of each of the recep- I tacles.

In accordance with the present invention, these covers 4 are generallysector-shaped and conform to the horizontal dimensions and shape of thereceptacles 3. Each of the covers 4 is supported at one corner on thecollar 5 carried by the shaft 2. Each of the covers also carriesdepending brackets 7 and 8 at their outer and rear edge portions whichare adapted to engage suitable supporting means provided on the walls 9forming the liner of the cabinet or compartment 1. By this arrangementit will be seen that the storage receptacles 3 are essentially supportedby the shaft 2 disposed within the storage compartment 1 while thecovers 4 are supported partly by the shaft on which the collar 5 iscarried and partly by the liner wall 9 of the compartment 1. It isdesirable therefore, in order to compensate for any manufacturingvariations between the receptacle supporting structure and the coversupporting structure, to provide means for adjustably supporting thecover on the cabinet wall 9.

The means for accomplishing this result provided by the presentinvention comprises an adjustable supporting member 10 adapted to bereceived in an aperture 12 provided in the wall 9 and having a studportion 14 extending through the aperture and a head portion 15 whichfits between the depending legs 16 provided on the brackets 7 formingpart of the cover 4. The supporting member 10 is held in frictionalengagement with the wall 9 by contact of the collar 16 with the wall,this contact being maintained by a pair of spring-like legs 18 whichengage the rear side of the Wall 9.

In order to mount the support member 10 on the wall 9 there are provideda pair of opposed notches 20 on opposite sides of the aperture 12, thesenotches 20 being in a size to receive the legs 18. Once' the stud 14.passes through the aperture 12 a distance suflicient to bring the collar16 into engagement with the wall 9. rotation of the supporting membercauses the legs 18 to ride onto the rear surface of the wall 9 in aslanting and sliding position relative to the stud 14 so that reverserotation of the supporting member is prevented by contact of these legs18 with wall 9.

The legs 18 on the supporting member 10 and the notches 20 provided inthe walls defining the aperture 12 are so positioned that when thesupporting member 10 is inserted into the aperture 12 and rotated adistance sufficient to bring the legs 18 into frictional engagement withthe rear surface of the wall 9, the supporting member occupiesapproximately the position shown in Fig. 2

of the drawing. In this position the cover 4 or more specificallybracket 7 rest directly on the head portion 15 of the supporting member.In order to level the cover 4 relative to the top edge 22 of thereceptacle 3, there is provided an arm 23 integral with member 10 and exPatented Nov. 18, 1958 3 tending more or less radially from the head 15,this arm 23 having a length such that itextends below the lower ends ofthe legs 18 when in the position shown in Fig. 2. The arm 23 providesmeans for elevating the cover 4 relative to receptacle 3. Rotation ofthe member 10 asfor example by means ofi a screw driver p1acedin,,the,s1ot.

24' provided in the head 15 'causes the arm, 23 to contact one of thelegs 16, continued rotation. of the supporting member 10 causing thearm. 23 to raise the, shelf 4 upwardly as shown in Fig. 3' of thedrawing-v. During this rotation of the supporting membe'rlO the, legs 13slide relative to the rear surface of the wall 9 and except for theirspring forces donot. interfere with this rotation. Reverse. rotation of.the member 10 due to the loadof the cover. 4 on the arm 23 .is preventedby the factjtnat the legs 18 bite into the wall9 thereby increasing, thetrio tional engagement of the member 1 0 with the wall 9 under theeffect of the weight of the cover 4;

While there has been disclose d aspecific embodiment ofthe presentinvention, it. isto beunderstood that the invention is not limited. tothe particular construction illustrated and it is. intended by theappended claims to cover all modifications within the spirit and scopeof the invention.

What I claim as new and desire to.secure by Letters Patent of the UnitedStates is:

1. An adjustable support structure comprising. a supported member havinga bracket thereon including spaced depending legs, an adjustablesupporting member including a stud portion adapted to be rotatablymounted in an aperture in a supporting wall in frictional engagementwith said supporting wall and a head extending between said legs, and anarm integral with said head for engaging the lower extremity of one ofsaid legs upon rotation of said supporting member to vary the verticalposition of said supported member.

2. An adjustable support structure comprising a supported member havinga bracket thereon including spaced depending legs, an adjustablesupporting member including a stud portion adapted to be rotatablymounted in an aperture in a supporting wall in frictional engagementwith said supporting wall and a head portion extending between saidlegs, and an arm integral with said head for engaging the lowerextremity of one of said legs upon rotation of said supporting member toraise said supported member.

ReferencesCitcd inthe file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 937,402Wood Oct. 19, 1909 1,906,723 Rosendahl May 2, 1933 2,640,672 Bedford JrJune 2, 1953 FOREIGN PATENTS 2,654 Great Britain 1881

